Skeleton Crew

Launching my MacFamilyTree database, I was immediately struck by how bare the entries were on my Mum’s side of the family – with only Birth, Death and Marriage data. Then, looking at the folder where I store the certificate images, I realised it’d been over 2 years since I’d looked at my Mum’s tree. This would have been the time when I first started my genealogy adventure with evening classes at Strathclyde University. Maybe we hadn’t got to Census records at that point in the course? Since that time I’ve been wrapped up in my RETTIE One-Name Study, so it’s fair to say this side of the family has been badly neglected.

Walking The Plank

My Mum’s maternal Grandfather was William Boyd BURNS. William was born on 14 Feb 1878 in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, Scotland and was the son of John BURNS and Rachel BOYD.1 John worked as a Ship’s Carpenter from the 1881 Census through to his death in 1922.2,3

Ancestor Chart for William Boyd BURNS

Continuing the maritime theme, I found that William was a Marine Engineer in the 1911 Census and that his young family lived at Wallace Street in Grangemouth.4 He had married Elizabeth Jackson HENDERSON on 10 Nov 19025 and Elizabeth’s Father, James, had been a Ship’s Master, Fish Merchant, Ship Sail Maker and Master Mariner in his long career.

Excerpt from census of the household of William BURNS, ScotlandsPeople, 1911 Census 481/B2 009/00 001.

Grangemouth is the town on the River Forth where I was brought up, and its busy port was the main source of employment until the petrochemical industry arrived in the 20th Century.6 (My Dad was a Research Chemist at Imperial Chemical Industries’ Dyes Division).

The 1878 year of birth and Wallace Street, Grangemouth address tied up with the Census and his Birth record. Extra detail provided was that he was a Chief and/or 1st Engineer (I think equivalent to a Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Navy); he was aboard the SS Boorara out of Glasgow; he was awarded the Mercantile Marine Ribbon and British Medal Ribbon on 10 April 1921 and the Mercantile Marine Medal (awarded to those who served at sea for at least six months, and on at least one voyage through a danger zone) and British Medal (automatically awarded to all recipients of the Mercantile Marine Medal) on 17 April 1923; and there was even a picture of him!

Shot Across the Bow

The SS Boorara didn’t look much like a Scottish name. Sure enough it turned out to be an Australian ship, but it was also an ex-German ship – the SS Pfalz. And, to my amazement, it seems that this ship was fired on by an Australian land battery in the first shot of the First World War by forces of the British Empire!7

Carrying out further research on the SS Boorara, I found that it had been attacked twice by German U-Boats.8

This brought back a family story which I vaguely recollect from childhood. I remember my maternal Grandfather (who was also in the Merchant Navy) telling some story about the war involving a U-Boat but I’d thought HE was involved and that it was the SECOND World War. Perhaps this is the real story?

Sangster & Henderson’s have secured from the recent Sale of Ship Salvage Goods steamer, ex s.s. Boorara, which was torpedoed bound for Melbourne, part of the Drapery cargo, which amounted to over £20,000. The Goods are slightly damaged by Water.9

The ship was evidently repaired as she sailed on future voyages to Australia as well as places such as Antwerp and Hamburg after the war.10,11,12

I also found that the SS Boorara was moored at the former Prince’s Dock on the Clyde here in Glasgow,13 on the other side of the river from the Riverside Museum (European Museum of the Year 2013) – just a couple of miles from where I now live.

Compass Reading

I’ll be making my second visit to the WDYTYA? Live event in London next month and I have booked an ‘Ask The Expert’ session as part of my Ancestry VIP Pass. I now intend to use this to find out more about researching Merchant Navy records. This should hopefully help me locate more details regarding my Great-Grandfather’s maritime career.